I sent this FOI/EIR request to Natural England a week ago:
Please send me the Habitats Regulations Assessments for the Catchment Restoration Plan for Walshaw Moor Estate and all associated documents, email correspondence etc.
Note that I am requesting the Habitat Regulations Assessments – plural, as I believe that more than one version exists and that both are held on your internal systems and that both are accessible through this request under FOI/EIR.
To be quite clear, I believe that comparison of the two documents would reveal that pressure was put on expert advisors within NE to change their expert advice for non-technical, non-scientific reasons.
I recognise that this is potentially an embarrassing situation for NE but the documents exist, are easily retrievable and I would appreciate their early disclosure. I will give NE one week’s grace but if I do not receive the two documents, and any other relevant internal correspondence concerning them, by the close of the working day on Wednesday 28 February then I will post this email on my blog and tell the world that I feel that NE is covering up this matter.
many thanks
Nothing received yet.
Well done indeed Mark. I am sure you are right. The whole Walshaw Moors saga is a complete disgrace and Defra and NE are right in the middle of it. Keep up your good work.
Excellent work Mark. I seem to recall a comment from Tony Blair regretting introducing the FoI laws. Just imagine the views of our current govt… I’m sure they wholeheartedly support such openness and honesty and wouldn’t dream of scrapping the system!
Many thanks and much appreciation for your tenacity in following up this disgraceful state of affairs.
I hadn’t heard of a Habitats Risk Assessment before. It seems to be something to do with marine planning http://data.naturalcapitalproject.org/nightly-build/invest-users-guide/html/habitat_risk_assessment.html
Did you mean a Habitat Regulations Assessment?
Miles – you’re right dammit! I don’t think confusion over terms will be NE’s main problem with the request though…
I wouldn’t bank on that. They’ll come back to you in 4 weeks time saying information not held.
Probably not, but they will ignore it on that basis.
Perhaps you should make allowances for the weather Mark? My guess is they have had to send out for extra supplies of black ink due to the level of redaction on both reports..
Mark, I have just emailed you a copy of an email I received today from the Crewe & Nantwich MP Laura Smith. I am pleased to say she will not be supporting any EDM’s regarding Hen Harrier brood meddling. Perhaps you might like to post her remarks.
Cheers
Setting aside the NNR estate team I’m not too sure what the rest of the 2000 or so actual do that benefits the public.
Conservation advisers could be funded by the land owners they advise on how to get the various ‘environmental payments’? Free advice and free cash, does any other sector benefit so well from public funding?
I know there are probably good people in there but ….
Open and transparent governance, keep pushing and thank you Mark.
Mark I can’t thank you enough for keeping the pressure up on this. Walshaw Moor is my stomping ground and I have been campaigning for years now to protect it and it’s wildlife.There is something very,very amiss in the relationship between Defra/N.E and the landowner.To me it seems far too cosy indeed.Many people in the Calderdale catchment area will be appalled at the prospect of a 5 km track built across this moor.through areas of deep peat.The idea of putting tracks large enough for fire engines across our Uplands to fight fires is very alarming and could set a precedence for other Grouse Moors.
It would be interesting if one of the habitual naysayers here could explain exactly why they don’t like the idea of full transparency by state organisations like Natural England. Is such a policy of obfuscation and denial one they’d like to see extended to other branches of government? Or do they support it elsewhere but only object when it might cause embarrassment to those who support driven grouse shooting?
It will be very interesting seeing the response you get Mark ! As someone who as been going up there for Years and to see the degradation of Walshaw Moor since 2002 is truly Shocking,on an area that is supposed to have every conceivable Protection awarded.Its an absolute traversty they now want a track right through the heart of it,while NE and DEFRA look on,it’s a Total Disgrace.
@michaelgove please step up and sort Defra out.
Then justify the existence of bureaucrats and senior managers in NE please.
Why are public funds being expended without tangible public benefit being delivered on private (grouse) shooting estates?